


New Divide

by hanaki



Category: Anthem (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Foursome - F/M/M/M, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Multi, Spoilers, Strained Relationships, Unnamed Freelancer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-15 13:22:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18074189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanaki/pseuds/hanaki
Summary: In which the Freelancer was in love with Matthias before the manifold incident. As it turned out, he was in love with her too - so much so that the feeling carried over into each part of him.





	New Divide

**Author's Note:**

> So, spoiler alert! If you haven't played Matthias' quest through, this fic is based around a major plot point in that quest line. You've been warned. It might not make a ton of sense if you haven't played that part already.
> 
> This fic was originally going to be PWP but I decided to make it a little more than that. It's not going to be super lengthy but it'll have a quick plot mixed in with the smut as they figure out how to navigate their relationship post-manifold incident.

It happened naturally, after stopping by to see Matthias after so many missions.

He was kind. Intelligent and curious. There were few arcanists should would consider fighters, and he was definitely among them. Yet there were more sides to him, layers just waiting for her to unravel. He was abrasive—frustrating at times. He had scolded her on more than one occasion when all she had been trying to say was that she admired him for overcoming the difficulties in his past, misconstruing her kindness for condescension.

And she wanted him desperately.

No doubt about it, there was something about that man that had captivated her attention early on in their acquaintance. Even when he was being demanding and insistent, he was always there for her. When she was frustrated with the way the Fort looked down on lancers. When the Sentinels insisted on keeping her assistance off the record, like they were ashamed to associate with her.

“It’s not like I have the best reputation,” he shrugged, always offering her a drink whenever she just needed a moment to rant away from the prying eyes and ears around Fort Tarsis.

No, he didn’t. Among the Arcanists, he was considered brash and impulsive—someone not to be taken seriously despite his vast knowledge in the field. But just like her, that never seemed to stop Matthias from doing what he wanted. They were similar in that regard, though when the pity party became too much, he was quick to kick her ass back into gear and send her back on her way.

Usually with a job, too.

“It’s called the manifold,” he told her one day, after countless missions and drinks shared.

She quirked a brow, more than a little interested in his most recent finding. Matthias always did very detailed research…it was impossible to turn him down when his eyes were glowing like that, like he was absolutely sure of his most recent finding. This would be the key to boosting her javelin. His personal contribution to helping her beat the storm that had haunted her for two years now.

“I’ll get it for you,” she agreed easily, listening to the run down he gave her about where and how to get it.

He grinned before sending her on her way, calling out just before she passed through the door, “Freelancer.” She looked back at him from over her shoulder, surprised to see a soft expression on his face as he watched her carefully. “After the Heart of Rage.”

She dared not to hope she understood him correctly. Dared not to think he meant what she wanted him to mean—that after she bested the Heart of Rage, he would be there waiting for her. That he would drop the wall he put up between them and look at her as more than a resource for his research.

Neither of them had expected what would happen when he slammed the manifold down to activate it.

\--

There were three of them. _Thee!_ And all they seemed to do was bicker, even as she attempted to get them to put their heads together and think—to send her on another crazy mission to fix this problem. None of them seemed to have the solution though, which was infuriating.

She had never felt so helpless in all her days as a Freelancer.

“I don’t know what to do, Faye.”

“It’s been a couple days now,” her cypher shrugged. “Surely they’ve found common ground by now.”

“You didn’t see them—the way they were going at it. It’s like they didn’t even know I was there.”

“I bet they’re waiting for you,” Faye teased, winking as she turned a fierce shade of red.

She very rarely blushed, but her cypher always knew how to push her buttons. It was only natural, since Faye had literally been in her head—she knew damn well what went on in the Freelancer’s mind when it came to Matthias. The fact that Matthias had somehow been split into _three_ different versions of himself was undoubtedly very amusing to her, even if it wasn’t so funny for the Freelancer.

“Do you think they know what happened yet?”

“The relic, of course,” Faye responded, tsking. “Was there any doubt?”

“I’ve never seen a relic do something like that.”

“I suppose there’s a first time for everything,” her friend shrugged, elbowing her gently. “I can pour some tea if you’d like, but we both know where you’d rather be right now.”

“There are three of them,” she responded pathetically.

“And? Sounds pretty typical, if you ask me. You never did like doing things in halves.”

She snorted at that, far more fondly than intended. “When they split, it was like…”

“Too much all at once,” Faye assumed, humming thoughtfully. “I can imagine that. I’m sure there’s a way to reverse it though. If anyone can figure it out, it’s him.”

True, she agreed silently, dwelling on it for more than a moment. The tea was in front of her before she knew it, and it was soothing in a way she hadn’t realized she needed. Her hands were trembling on the cup the first few sips, unsure how she would even be able to face him again.

“They’ll need your help.”

Shit. He definitely would. Matthias was a lot of things, but _she_ was the muscle—the javelin pilot who accomplished whatever task was necessary to get him what he needed. Maybe it was her turn to kick _his_ ass into gear for a change.

“I’ve gotta go,” she realized, hopping right to her feet.

Faye just laughed as she muttered a thank you and rushed out the door, on her way to Matthias’ place before she could stop herself. The bashfulness she was feeling would have to take a back seat, helping him far more important than any embarrassment over what had happened.

He was always a smart man. No doubt these split versions of him _knew._ It didn’t take an arcanist to figure it out.

“Freelancer,” she was greeted as she walked in, raising a brow as she tried to place which version of Matthias this was. Their tones were all unique—this one seemed to be one of the nicer ones. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better,” she responded, exhaling a long breath.

The day they split, she had been more overwhelmed than she cared to admit. When it became clear they were going to bicker instead of presenting a solution, she had gotten a headache and excused herself. Honestly, she was surprised any of them even noticed or remembered her excuse for leaving.

“It’s been two days,” he observed, stepping in close and looking her over. “You rarely stay away so long when you’re in the Fort.”

Her face was a red again at his harmless words, surprised to be called out so bluntly. Did she really swing by _that_ often when she was home?

“Your face was pained when you left. We were worried,” another Matthias observed, eyes flickering over her body like he was making sure. “You appear to be better.”

The final one chimed in, “That’s too bad, I was hoping you were here to ask for a volunteer. I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on you—giving you a massage, maybe?”

“Why are you so rude?” the first chimed in, glaring at the blunt version of himself.

She raised a hand to stop them before they could start up the bickering, getting right to the point. “Have you figured out what happened with the manifold?”

“It seems to have split us—we each represent a different component of Matthias’ personality.”

She nodded at that, having figured that much out herself. They were all him, in their own way—just not _all_ of him.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” one stepped forward, holding out a hand to her. “I’m Erryl. I seem to be Matthias’ intellectual side.”

“I’m Matti,” the second introduced, grinning at her. “These two say I’m curious, but I think I’m the fun one.”

“And that leaves me,” the third told her, folding his arms across his chest. “Sumner. The badass, of course.”

She laughed at that, much to the other two’s amusement. Sumner didn’t seem all that pleased, but he cracked a smile by the end of it.

“We’re sorry if our presence startled you too much,” Erryl told her, brows furrowed like it genuinely pained him in some way. “It must have been a lot, seeing us like this for the first time.”

“Yeah, I forgot you loved that idiot,” Sumner said, glaring at the others as they each whacked one of his arms. “What? We all know she wanted us.”

The freelancer took a steadying breath, forcing herself not to show how flustered his words left her. So they really knew…Of course Matthias knew. He had probably known for months now how she felt, the feeling alone overpowering for her. It must’ve been written all over her face every time she saw him, stumbling over her words in a way she didn’t do with anyone else. Lancers couldn’t afford to show weakness, after all.

_After the Heart of Rage._

Her heart twisted at the thought, wishing more than anything she knew what he had meant that day. No doubt these three all knew the answer, as they seemed to share Matthias’ memories from the past.

Not that she could bring herself to ask.

“Here’s the thing,” Sumner started, his voice taking on a gentler tone than she had heard. “We’ve all talked about it, and now that we’re separated…”

He didn’t seem like such a badass now, eyes dropping to the floor like he couldn’t bring himself to finish the statement. She looked to the others, inwardly amused to see they were all in similar states, like they couldn’t finish his sentence either. This was how Matthias handled things when he felt bad— _guilty._ The question is, why would these three feel that way while talking to her?

_Shit._

“You want to stay this way,” she quickly realized, blinking in surprise as they each nodded. “But why? You’re all parts of one person.”

“Now that we’ve experienced separation, it seems we were always meant to be this way,” Erryl explained. “Yes, we represent portions of Matthias, but I want to become my own person.”

“We found a way to stabilize the split already,” Matti said with a small smile. “It should be safe. I want to explore what it means to be my own person as well.”

“We all do,” Sumner agreed, eyes sweeping her up and down as he gauged her reaction. She remained as impassive as possible, debating her own reaction. If they were separate, Matthias would never come back to her. Yet these three _were_ Matthias. It was confusing, to say the least. “I can fill in if you’re still looking for a partner.”

“It’s not that simple,” she shot back with a huff.

“Why not? He wanted you, and I can see why,” Sumner told her, not a care in the world as his words hit her. “If anything, you’re lucky I don’t have these two weighing me down.”

“Hey!” Matti exclaimed, offended.

“What? I’m the decisive one. If it’d been me all along, I’d have claimed you in my bed two months ago,” Sumner asserted, directing his full attention at her once more.

Her eyes went wide at that confession, but she tried her damndest not to show any other signs of acknowledgment. _What?_ This man—he was a very real part of Matthias. A part of the man she had wanted all this time. Was there really some part of him that had wanted her like that all along?

“Who’s to say that wouldn’t have happened if it’d just been me?” Matti insisted, ignoring Sumner’s huff. “Except I would’ve been nicer about it. I would’ve explored this feeling—what it meant to feel this way for a woman.”

Sumner huffed again. “Forget this guy. I’d have explored every inch of you until you couldn’t think of anyone else _but_ me.”

“This isn’t a productive conversation,” Erryl decided, and she could’ve hugged the man for the relief his words brought her. There was something incredibly awkward about hearing everything she wanted to hear from Matthias coming out of the mouths of two men who looked just like him—two men who shared pieces of him, yet weren’t… _him._ “Freelancer, I think you’ll find either a valid candidate if you can accept us as parts of Matthias. I was the one holding him back.”

“I see,” she muttered, trying not to show exactly how overwhelmed she was feeling now.

“It’s not that I didn’t want you as well,” Erryl continued after a beat. “I just had other priorities.”

Right. Like runes and relics and everything that had lead them to this ridiculous moment.

“You don’t have to explain,” she assured him, waving him off before he could speak again. Undoubtedly they could see the bitterness on her face, and she wasn’t exactly trying to hide it. It was this side of Matthias that had intrigued her, yet it also left her helpless right now—like there was nothing she could do to get the man she wanted most back. “I’ve got other priorities right now, too.”

“Right. The Heart of Rage. We’ve made progress!” Erryl exclaimed, quickly rambling about what they intended to do to help her. The advances the manifold would unlock to give her a little boost in the battle. Between this and what she was working on with Faye and Haluk, victory was sounding more and more like a possibility.

“Are you done?” Sumner asked him, bored.

“You played a role in this discovery,” Erryl reminded him pointedly. “How can you pretend not to be interested?”

“Because there’s a beautiful woman is standing in front of me, and I’m ready to claim her.”

“She didn’t choose you,” Matti reminded his counterpart with narrow eyes.

“And?”

“We agreed to let her choose on her own!”

“ _What?”_ she cut in, looking between the three in confusion.

“You’re smart enough,” Sumner said shortly. “We can drag this out over the next few weeks if you prefer.”

“Or?”

“Or you can choose me tonight.”

Matti scowled. “She could choose any of us!”

“We have a mission still!” Erryl reminded them with a sigh. “Freelancer, forgive them. Now that I’ve been separated from them, there’s little to keep their impulses and emotions in check.”

“And if I chose you?” she wondered, quirking a brow as a stunned look covered Erryl’s face. Strange the 'intelligent' one would be so surprised by what seemed to be an obvious question. “Are you not an option?”

“I…I am, but there’s still the mission. The Heart of Rage is important to you.”

“It is, but so are you,” she told him, glancing around the room tentatively. “All of you are. Matthias was…”

_Everything._ He had been since the moment their eyes met. Even now as she looked at them, she knew. They were him. Not a single one would please her alone, as they all made up the essence of who and what he was.

“I need to go,” the Freelancer decided, that headache coming back in a hurry.

If she stayed, she would ask them to find a way to get him back—to pull out the damn relic and merge back together so that she could have the singular man she had desired all this time. A selfish demand, she knew, which was why she needed to get out of there for now.


End file.
